Engineering Synergy: Energy and Mass Transport in Hybrid Nanomaterials

An emerging class of materials that are hybrid in nature is propelling a technological revolution in energy, touching many fundamental aspects of energy-generation, storage, and conservation. Hybrid materials combine classical inorganic and organic components to yield materials that manifest new functionalities unattainable in traditional composites or other related multicomponent materials, which have additive function only. This Research News article highlights the exciting materials design innovations that hybrid materials enable, with an eye toward energy-relevant applications involving charge, heat, and mass transport. Hybrid materials are a key class of emerging compounds in which organic and inorganic components are united to produce materials with new capabilities. This is in distinct contrast to composite materials that have additive functionality only. Recent advances in the field are reviewed, which show the broad impact hybrids will have on applications ranging from electronics, heat transfer, and mass transport.